Reflective Writing One

For my photo boards, I thought about what was important to me and what was relevant to my life. I chose photos that affect my day-to-day life and how things from the past have effected who I am today. For the first photo, I chose the 4^th of July, Independence Day in the United States. This holiday represents my personal culture because I was raised in California and I consider myself to be American as a result of it. This holiday is a very important to many Americans because it is a day that we can celebrate our independence and loyalty to our country. This is a theme that we have studied in this paper because the place people grow up gives them an identity and people they can relate and connect to in society. Lots of people posted about where they were from, whether it is a foreign country or a neighbourhood here in Auckland, and I felt as though Independence Day to me was a part of who I am and where I came from. 

For the second photo we had to talk about our own identity, and to me a big part of who I am is my family. Growing up, my family was always so close, spending the weekends doing fun things together and during the winter we would ski every weekend together. Now, my brother and dad live in California and my mom and I live here in Auckland. Even though my family is thousands of kilometres apart, it is something we can still bond over and share as a family. This is a theme that we have studied because many people are who they are because of things they do in their life such as a hobby or sport. For me skiing is something I love to do and my family is also a very important part of my life and it is part of who I am. Quite a few other students have chosen something in their lives that has shaped who they, for example a sport or language that somewhat defines who they are in society.

For the third photo, we were asked to choose an aspect of human rights that we are passionate about. For me personally, women’s equality is a very important part of my life. I am a chef and in the kitchen, it is harder for woman to be respected and be successful due to the stressful and often male-dominated industry. I constantly have to push myself to prove to the other chefs that I am just as capable as they are at doing their job. Most of the most successful chefs in the world are men, but I am determined to prove to the world that women can be equally as good chefs as their male counterparts. This is a theme we have studied because it is something that women have struggled in so many different industries and it is relevant for so many women all over the world. Many people in this paper have talked about things that affect their personal lives, such as discrimination or gay rights and these important topics mean different things to different people.

For the final photo, we had to choose something in history that has influenced society today. I chose Steve Jobs because he changed technology today. His work with apple to create the computer and later the iPhone, have changed how people live their lives today such as through communicating, teaching, and media. Without his work, the world would be a completely different place because we use these technologies almost 24/7 in society today. Many people have chosen people or events that have influenced how society has changed and works today.